Media and Self-Image

Beauty in today’s society is identified as “flawless” facial features and “perfect” bodies. Teens are faced with many challenges about their self-image with all the attention the media places on that matter; this kind of attention can also lead to low self-esteem, which is one of the causes of eating disorders and depression in young adults. I’ve personally witnessed the difference that the media creates in teenagers’ lives; some of my classmates suffered low self-esteem due to their weight or facial features. I believe that the media should bring out the real beauty in girls instead of displaying unrealistic beauty that has been altered with today’s technology.

Media plays a huge role in society nowadays, which affects the way we think of ourselves. It’s hard to believe that it also makes our choices for us because of the way we think, especially with technology improving, there is no way to avoid the media.

Today, body-image is based on the standards that the media sets for people. The focus it places on physical attractiveness and unrealistic body shapes can cause the average teenager to have low self-esteem because they believe that they should weigh or look the same way as the models that appear in most ads. We can start a campaign that helps girls feel beautiful in their own skin and shows them what goes on behind the scenes of photo shoots and advertisements.

– 16-year-old from Jordan

This entry is part of a series of essays and messages from the publication "Adolescence - Beyond the Stereotypes" - written, compiled and edited by adolescents and young people themselves with support from Voices of Youth and UNICEF.